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View Full Version : To anyone who has taken Advanced Calculus.



Dingo Jellybean
03-24-2005, 02:53 AM
How hard is this class?

I hear it's one of the toughest undergraduate classes in any major. I won't be taking it until next fall, but I want some opinions about the class. I want to see what is generally a prerequisite for the class(I'm taking Number Theory and Abstract Algebra now along with Applied Probability and Statistics in the summer) and what background knowledge is needed.

I'm honestly scared to death about this class. If things go as planned, after summer, I'll only have 3 400-level math classes to finish before my degree.

rubah
03-24-2005, 02:58 AM
I'd say go ask the folks in #eoff.

But math talk is forbidden, (except when it's not).

Jojee
03-24-2005, 03:02 AM
What do you mean advanced calculus? Calc II or Calc III?

Dingo Jellybean
03-24-2005, 03:04 AM
I'd say go ask the folks in #eoff.

But math talk is forbidden, (except when it's not).


Eh...I left #eoff a long time ago, almost 9 months ago, and it has helped keep my grades up...because I use to spend HOURS in there.


What do you mean advanced calculus? Calc II or Calc III?

Well, it's generally a 400-level math course in any 4 year college, so you can look at it like Calc 4. Advanced Calc II is considered Calc 5 and Applied Advanced Calculus is usually calc 5.5. It's not fun when you get into these math classes. :-\

Spuuky
03-24-2005, 05:58 AM
I'm not sure what you mean by 'Advanced Calculus.' I took a class called that in my first year.

Jojee
03-24-2005, 06:01 AM
Hah, it's not fun when you get into any math classes. No calc is fun, especially since so much is based off of trig, and trig is definitely not fun. Why anyone would go above Calc III is beyond me, unless they want a career in some serious mathematics... which is also beyond me! :p

Resha
03-24-2005, 08:46 AM
I'm willing to bet it's worse than Add. Maths...and that can't be good. I envy you with my heart and soul for liking math so much, and hopelessly wish I could feel even the tiniest particle of liking for it.

crazybayman
03-24-2005, 12:55 PM
Did some calculus through University, but never advanced, because I didn't need it for my engineering degree. I did manage to get a job a few months after graduation.

Have you ever considered a B. Eng (or B. Sc, with a major in some type of engineering)? You'll definitely get a good fix of math, but in practical applications. And when you finish you have the opportunity to travel, and make decent money.

However I commend you for having the dilligence and dedication to do Advanced Calc. I've only heard that this course is a complete beeotch.

Good luck.

Crazy Bayman

*Insert Sig Here*

SeeDRankLou
03-24-2005, 05:42 PM
In my experience, Calc III was the most difficult of all the math classes. If you can understand the thought process behind many of the concepts in Calc III, Advanced Calc will not be all that difficult and Advanced Calc II will be a breeze. The hard part of Advanced Calc is just a much more thorough look at series and their different types, functions and processes. If you can get the Taylor Series and its many concepts you'll be fine. I really wouldn't worry that much about it.

However, this can be based in large part on your professor. I had a really good Calc III and Advanced Calc professor, so that made things a bit easier. If you don't have a good Advanced Calc professor, that could change things greatly. Hopefully you get a good professor, or at least a good TA for the professor.

Endless
03-24-2005, 07:20 PM
If one of you can tell me what "Advanced Calculus" (*) contains, I might be able to tell you if I took it and how hard I found it.

(*) we don't use the same naming sytems for our classes, so I always have a hard time comparing what I did with people out of France.

Chemical
03-24-2005, 09:13 PM
I'd say go ask the folks in #eoff.

But math talk is forbidden, (except when it's not).

It's true, but I officially un-forbid math. Because.

I took Calculus in highschool. It wasn't my bucket of peaches. The number relations illude me... but I think that if you feel comfortable with Calculus equations that as long as you pay attention, attend class, do your homework and practice for fun... then you're set for life my friend.

Tasura
03-24-2005, 10:17 PM
i am currently in Calculus in high school, i find it quite easy, or so far what we have covered

Dr Unne
03-24-2005, 10:40 PM
At my college after Calc II you could take Calc III and above in almost any order. There was no class called "Advanced Calc" that I know of. Even if anyone here knew what class you were talking about, it would also depend on how good you are at math, and how strict the professor is, how dumb everyone else is in the class compared to yourself, and how much time and effort you're willing to spend, among other things.

Odaisé Gaelach
03-26-2005, 08:16 PM
Could you give me an example of a question that you would be asked in Calc I or II?

Dingo Jellybean
03-26-2005, 08:32 PM
Could you give me an example of a question that you would be asked in Calc I or II?

Why? The topic refers to Calc 4, a 400-level math class. Calc 1 & 2 are 100 level math classes.

But most of Calc 1 & 2 relies on Riemann sums, differentiation and integration using the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus.

Jojee
03-26-2005, 08:36 PM
And series (in calc 2) :( Evilest things ever.

Odaisé Gaelach
03-26-2005, 08:52 PM
Why? The topic refers to Calc 4, a 400-level math class. Calc 1 & 2 are 100 level math classes.

Because I'm an Irish secondary (high) school student taking higher level maths for the Leaving Cert. And I don't have a clue about what 400-level and 100 level maths classes mean.

I want to compare the stuff you're doing to the stuff I'm doing for my Leaving Cert.

Dingo Jellybean
03-26-2005, 08:56 PM
Because I'm an Irish secondary (high) school student taking higher level maths for the Leaving Cert. And I don't have a clue about what 400-level and 100 level maths classes mean.

I want to compare the stuff you're doing to the stuff I'm doing for my Leaving Cert.

Well, I'm sure you've taken Pre-Calculus then. It'll teach you to look at graphs and such, and you should know what an asymtote is(I remember one of my co-students always liked to say "Can you say what an 'ass-symtote' is again?"). It's hard to tell you what kind of problems to expect if you haven't taken the class yet.

But in colleges in the US, 100 level math classes are generally math classes that are entry level. 400-level classes are the highest undergraduate-non-honors- classes that one can take before getting their degree.

-N-
03-26-2005, 08:58 PM
Sounds like all you're talking about is multivariable calculus and/or real-numbered analysis. Easy as balls - don't even sweat it. At my school, it's required for all majors anyways, and we take it our second or third semester here.

Dingo Jellybean
03-26-2005, 09:03 PM
Sounds like all you're talking about is multivariable calculus and/or real-numbered analysis. Easy as balls - don't even sweat it. At my school, it's required for all majors anyways, and we take it our second or third semester here.

Nah, multivariable calculus/analysis is calc 3 at Maryland. It's a 200-level math course. I've already taken the class last semester and I might just wait till my last semester to take it. So this fall I might take Math401 and Math430 instead of Calc4(math 410).

-N-
03-26-2005, 09:07 PM
Well, I go to a private undergrad school, so I really have nothing to compare your numbering systems to. So I don't really know what you're talking about. Got a course syllabus or website?

Del Murder
03-26-2005, 09:19 PM
Without a list of topics I don't think we can help much. UCLA doesn't get into 400 numbered classes.

Multivariable integration was the hardest subejct for me, so if you handled that fine you should be ok.

Dingo Jellybean
03-26-2005, 09:31 PM
http://www.math.umd.edu/undergraduate/courses/syllabi/syllabusMATH410.shtml

That's the course syllabus for the class. You'll see the topics there. It says it's a "rigorous" look at functions of one variable. So eh.

Del Murder
03-27-2005, 12:27 AM
The 'rigorous' part of it is probably what you have to worry about. The topics there shouldn't be anything you haven't seen before if you've gone through intermediate calculus classes. I hate the Cauchy stuff. That guy's annoying.

Seems like a lot of stuff to go over in one semester...

SeeDRankLou
03-27-2005, 05:59 AM
That's the course syllabus for the class. You'll see the topics there. It says it's a "rigorous" look at functions of one variable. So eh.
It's a rigorous look, meaning that you are going to be looking at things you've done before, except this time instead of in a vector fashion you are going to look at it in a series and convergence fashion. It's a different way of thinking, but it's not necessarily hard.

-N-
03-27-2005, 07:37 PM
Looks like Real Numbered Analysis. You'll be fine - it's a sophomore class here.

http://www.math.hmc.edu/math131/

eestlinc
03-27-2005, 07:57 PM
sounds like fun!